The new fall season is almost here, and it’s going to be quite a doozy with big names like Gundam 00 alongside sequels like Nodame Cantabile Paris and new titles like Michiko to Hatchin. There are a whopping 35+ series premiering – that’s not even counting the kiddie shows – and there should be something for everyone, from mecha to space operas to slice-of-life comedies to dark romances and more. As usual, I’ll try to watch the first episode of most shows within certain parameters (in other words, not the kiddie shows), and what I list here are the chances of me actually blogging something based on my initial impressions from promotional material – which incidentally there is a ton of this time around. However, even if I list the chances for a show as good or guaranteed, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll stick with it for more than a few episodes.

By no means does this list reflect every single anime series that is going to be aired, though I did try to be as comprehensive as I could. Check out MOON PHASE for an entire listing, syoboi’s calendar for specific air-times, and Fansub Wiki’s Fall 2008 page for who’s tentatively subbing what.

Technical Note: All times are given in a 24-hour, relative-day format where times are extended to show which day they belong to. For instance, Friday morning at 1:30AM would become Thursday at 25:30 to show that the episode aired late Thursday night.

Toradora!http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/toradora/
Premieres October 1st, 2008
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:20
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:20
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi
Toradora! follows a guy and girl who are in love with each other’s best friends and decide to help each other out. Along the way, they develop a very unique and close relationship. The female lead here is a role that was tailor made for Kugimiya Rie due to the way she acts and how she treats the male lead like a servant (much like Louise or Shana). Being animated by J.C.Staff as well will probably only increase the likeness. Horie Yui‘s also has a role in this, and put all together, this is a series generating a lot of buzz – I’ve even heard it called the next Suzumiya Haruhi. I don’t think it’ll have quite that much impact, but I’ve liked what I’ve read of the light novels and manga so far, so I’m tentatively planning on watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Linebarrels of Ironhttp://www.linebarrels.jp/
Premieres October 3rd, 2008
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 26:25
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Fridays at 13:25
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi
The big series Gonzo is pushing for the fall season – to the point where they’ve released a PV in English – starts with a boy who meets a naked girl with no memories and obtains a mecha via an accident. He subsequently becomes a powerful pilot and has a to fight a lot of battles and such. My initial reaction to the plot was that it’s rather generic sounding, and it doesn’t help any that this is being animated by Gonzo and has character designs by Hirai Hisashi (those of you who have been reading RC for a while now will remember that, thanks to SEED Destiny, I get a bad feeling whenever I see a show with his character designs). On the other hand, this has a pretty strong cast including Fukuyama Jun, Hirano Aya, and Noto Mamiko, and the PVs don’t look that bad. Fridays are likely going to come down to a choice of this or Tales of the Abyss.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of the shows coming in October. Much much more after the jump, including the torrent link for promotional material.

Episode at a Glance:
Feeling responsible for everything that’s happened, Yoite no longer desires to be erased and has chosen to die alone. Miharu however claims that everything’s his fault and explains that he wanted to help Yoite disappear if that’s what Yoite really wanted.

The commercial that aired after today’s CODE GEASS R2 finale is probably the last Gundam 00 second series trailer before it actually begins airing next week. The wailing in the background of this one was rather jarring – it reminded me of Diva’s song from Blood+ – and made the mood of the series seem a lot darker than in the previous commercials. Anyway, it looks like Setsuna will start the new series off with the Exia in a battle against an Ahead mobile suit, but the Exia will probably get destroyed or Setsuna will realize that it’s no longer sufficient, and that will lead to him getting his new Gundam. The thing that caught my eye in the character montage part of the commercial is that in the next to last shot where Sumeragi is in bed while Billy is nearby. Did she sleep with him?

Also, for anyone who’s wondering, the Fall 2008 Preview is now 95% done. I’m going to add the finishing touches after I write up the CODE GEASS R2 finale.

Episode at a Glance:
Making his way towards Gid’s spaceship, Rito is left wondering if it’s okay for him to be helped, but Saruyama doubts that anyone’s going to criticize Rito about this unreasonable game.

Episode at a Glance:
With their train surrounded, Travas learns that the poorly dressed and armed men outside are after the gold they believe to be onboard, making him suspect that the real motive is elsewhere.

With the finale of To LOVE-Ru coming up this week, I thought this would be as good a time as ever to post the PV for the opening theme. When I first heard this song back in April, I admittedly had no idea who THYME was, but found the song itself surprisingly catchy—a sentiment that only grew the more I listened to it. While the fan-service filled opening sequence definitely added to the song’s appeal, it’s actually pretty good on its own, especially in the full version we have here.

Originally an indie band, THYME (pronounced “time”) was formed in 2004 by Thyme (vocals, lyrics) and Shimizu Teppei (arrangement, composition, guitar), but Hoshino Takafumi (music engineer) joined the group a couple of years later when his skills were deemed necessary for them to progress. Prior to forming the band with Teppei, Thyme (real name: Kamiyama Sayaka 神山 さやか) was pursuing a solo music career, but needed someone to help her compose music, thus leading to the THYME we know today. It wasn’t until September 2007 that they had their first major debut though, releasing their single “Hello” after signing with Geneon Entertainment. Under Geneon, their involvement in anime naturally followed suit, which is (probably) why “forever we can make it!” was used as To LOVE-Ru’s opening theme. This trend continued on to the summer season, where their song “Fly Away” was used as the opening theme of Mahou Tsukai Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~, which some of you may recall I originally started blogging.

Seeing as I hadn’t heard of THYME half a year ago but am already a fan of this song and “Fly Away”, I guess this goes to show what a little anime exposure can do for new artists. While these up-and-coming artists probably never pictured having their music used in anime, I doubt they’ll complain about having a few otakus buy their CDs. On a separate note, is it just me or does Sayaka only look half Japanese? I haven’t come across any information stating that she is, but there’s something about her eyes (and straight teeth) that make me think she is. In any case, enjoy the video!